Top 10 Burgers

Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger

Sun, 03/14/2010 - 17:52 - Adam

My quest to cook, eat & review different iterations of the “burger” (Check out my Pita Burger and Pizza Burger) has led me to a creation that I have read about on a few different websites – and it peaked my interest. The idea is that you make two griddle flattened grilled cheese sandwiches (each with bacon) and use them as the top and bottom bun of a bacon cheese burger. Whoever came up with this idea was a true innovator – a new personal hero of mine. What a great idea…. Give it a try at home and let me know what you think of it.

My Review:This is the second time I have made the grilled cheese bacon burger. I experimented with it at a Jets tailgate party this past year. The fact is that there is nothing not to like here. It is a heart-stopper for sure but when enjoyed in moderation, it should be safe enough. Don’t get addicted though, having this sandwich more than twice in a year could cause some serious health issues. This is for special occasions – and once you taste it, you’ll know why. It is the perfect overload of crunchy buttery bread, melted cheese, more butter, hamburger and bacon….. and more bacon….and a couple more slices of bacon. Yumm – two thumbs up on this one.

1. On a stove top griddle pan, fry up 6 slices of bacon. Make sure that you let the bacon get well cooked (but not burnt). Once the bacon is cooked, place the bacon slices on some folded paper towels on the side to drain off some of the grease.

2. Rinse off and dry the griddle pan and put it back on the stove over a medium/high flame. Place two pats of butter on either side of the griddle pan (see the photo below). Once the butter melts into a puddle, place a slice of white bread on each of the butter puddles. Add a slice of cheese on top of each slice of bread. Add two slices of bacon on top of each of them. Cover each with another slice of bread (forming the grilled cheese sandwiches).

3. Use a grill weight (see photo below) or a brick wrapped in tin foil (if you don’t own a grill weight like the one in the photo) sprayed with some Pam to sit on top of the sandwiches so that they will flatten into nice thin grilled cheese sandwiches. Flip over after 2-3 minutes (or when bottom bread is toasty brown).

4. While the grilled cheese sandwiches get all crispy, push them to the back of the pan and make some room up front to cook the hamburger meat. In a mixing bowl, mix 1 handful of meat with salt & pepper (to taste). I advise adding at least some salt to add flavor (let's not get health conscious on this one – after all, look at what you are about to eat…). Ball the meat - about the size of a small snowball – approx 4-5 ounces. Put a pat of butter on the griddle, let it melt, and put a meat ball in the butter puddles. Using a Pam-sprayed spatula, flatten the ball into very thin patties. You are basically frying the burger in butter…

5. Once the burger is cooked to the desired temperature, add a slice of cheese and two slices of bacon on top – and allow that to melt. Once that is melted, put it between the two grilled cheese sandwiches – and ENJOY…